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Do it Best Hires Jennifer for Voice Directed Distribution
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Leading retailar installs Jennifer Voice And Motorola MC9090 terminals to help ensure accurate, efficient distribution to more than 4,100 member-owned stores.
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (5/5/2008) - Do it Best has installed the Jennifer voice-directed distribution system from Lucas Systems at four retail service centers (RSCs), with plans to roll out to four additional RSCs in the next two months.
More than 300 Do it Best employees have been trained and started working with Jennifer running on Motorola's rugged MC9090 mobile computers to improve productivity in the distribution centers.
"Jennifer has already had a measurable impact on the quality of service we provide to our member-owners by improving the accuracy and efficiency of order fulfillment at our Dixon and Cape Girardeau retail service centers," said John Snider, vice president of logistics at Do it Best. "The Lucas team worked closely with us to assemble a voice system that fits our processes, while providing maximum flexibility and control for managers at each of our RSCs. Our move from paper-based processes to next-generation voice-directed work has significant benefits for our customers, the 4,100 member-owned Do it Best hardware stores that depend on our RSCs for timely, efficient, and accurate delivery."
Last year, Do it Best completed a pilot of the Jennifer voice system running on the Motorola MC9090 mobile computers at its Dixon, Ill., RSC. In February, Jennifer was introduced at the Cape Girardeau, Mo., RSC. In less than two weeks, 90 associates at Cape Girardeau were trained and working with Jennifer. At the end of the rollout, associates were already surpassing their previous productivity and accuracy rates. Since then, Jennifer has started working at two additional RSCs.
"Motorola's rugged MC9090 mobile computers coupled with Lucas Systems' Jennifer speech-recognition technology enable customers like Do it Best to operate more efficiently by eliminating the need to manually enter data or read instructions," said Brian Viscount, vice president of mobile computing, Motorola's Enterprise Mobility business. "The standards-based, best-selling MC9090 offers mobile workers a multifunction device to support multiple data capture functions providing flexibility to use whichever data capture technology is most efficient to perform the task at hand."
Jennifer is the first voice-directed logistics solution designed from the ground up to run on open, industrial portable computers. Jennifer's user-friendly voice and innovative, efficient voice dialogues improve productivity and eliminate errors throughout the distribution center (from receiving to voice picking to truck loading). Jennifer also gives managers configurable labor management, process management, and reporting capabilities that allow them to better manage and adapt operations to reduce costs and maximize perfect orders.
"Retailers with multiple RSCs like Do it Best Corp. recognize the value of a configurable voice solution that can be deployed quickly on rugged, industry-standard terminals from Motorola," said Jeff Slevin, chief operating officer of Lucas Systems. "There is a decisive trend in the warehouse market toward the use of voice on open, multimodal terminals. Jennifer is the most comprehensive solution available for Motorola platforms, which is why more retailers, wholesale distributors, and manufacturers are choosing the Jennifer voice system than any other solution.?
About Do it Best Corp.
Based in Fort Wayne, Ind., Do it Best Corp. is the only full-service, U.S.-based, member-owned hardware, lumber and building materials buying cooperative in the home improvement industry. With annual sales of $2.81 billion, Do it Best Corp. is the second largest co-op in the industry, serving 4,100 member-owned stores in the United States and in 47 countries. With more than 65,000 SKUs stocked in their eight RSCs, Do it Best Corp. has achieved a 96.8 percent fill rate.
About Lucas Systems
Lucas Systems has delivered more voice-directed distribution center solutions on a wider variety of mobile computers than any other company. Customers like Cardinal Health, C&S Wholesale Grocers, CVS/pharmacy, Kraft Nabisco, and OfficeMax trust Lucas to deliver solutions that greatly improve worker productivity and accuracy because Lucas truly understands warehouse operations. Jennifer, the Lucas voice solution, communicates with warehouse associates through a headset connected to an open, industry-standard multimodal mobile computer. Jennifer creates a conversation with warehouse workers that frees their hands and eyes to focus on the job at hand, reducing errors while increasing efficiency. For more information, visit www.lucasware.com.
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Lucas Systems, Inc.
Editorial Contact:
John Schriefer
724-940-7144
schriefer@lucasware.com
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